When members of Bradford band The Tempus finished runners-up in a battle of the bands, little did they know it would provide them with their biggest break to date.

But the three indie hopefuls managed to impress Starsailor vocalist James Walsh, who was on the judging panel, so much that he offered them a support slot at a London gig.

The Bradford band were pipped at the post in the competition to play at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, but said they came away feeling as if nothing had been lost.

“It is really exciting for us,” said Johnny Miller, the 19-year-old singer and guitarist with the band.

“It’s really weird, actually, because I have been a fan of Starsailor since their first album, so it was a bit of a shock to meet him and then end up supporting them.

“We didn’t realise there was a second prize or anything, so it was really quite a shock.”

The gig with the indie stars is due to be held at The Borderline in London towards the end of the summer. The venue has seen such famous and influential acts as REM and Oasis perform there, but the boys from Bradford, who include bass player Matt Hall, 20, of Tyersal, and Dave Jones, 19, the drummer, of Wrose, aren’t letting that daunt them.

“Obviously I’m a little nervous, but it will be the most important gig we have ever done, so it will be strange being up on a proper stage like one of the big boys,” said Johnny, of Eccleshill.

“Of course we will be hoping to impress, so we will have to get practising and get tighter.

“It would be good to get noticed by someone in the industry who will hopefully move us up a notch – it’s a nice break for us really.”

The band’s turbulent mixture of powerful tones, with influences ranging from The Verve to Led Zeppelin, also impressed BT’s marketing department.

Matthew Dearden, marketing director at BT Retail, said: “The stirring performance by The Tempus at this year’s BT Battle of the Bands was a real hit with the judging panel.

“We hope that their forthcoming gig with Starsailor will be the start of great things for them.”

Johnny’s brother Andy, 26, a member of The Tempus’ management team, said: “James Walsh came over and said he enjoyed the songs and thought the performance was strong.

“The band have been doing a lot of gigs recently and so are like seasoned performers now. It is such a great opportunity.”

The judging panel at the competition also included singer Arno Carstens alongside Isle of Wight Festival organiser John Giddings.

The Bradford lot finished joint second with London band The Velcros, who have also been offered a support slot by Starsailor.

The first prize of an appearance at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival was taken by Scottish outfit We See Lights.

e-mail: james.rush@ telegraphandargus.co.uk